Infrastructure Selection Strategy

This chapter presents XML software infrastructure in the order that you would bring pieces together during development. To maintain maximum flexibility, you would actually make your product selections in the same order. However, the practicalities of the procurement process will probably force you to make decisions early in the project, or perhaps even before starting a specific project. Also, as you will see in Chapter 6, establishing your infrastructure beforehand can also make it easier to acquire staff with the appropriate skills.

If you do have to make an early decision on XML software infrastructure, it's important to know whether you plan to use XML for data-oriented or content-oriented projects. For data-oriented projects, the choice of application server will usually drive the rest of the decisions. Your existing environment, price, and the availability of applicable features like Web services frameworks should factor most prominently. This choice will probably make the selection of fundamental components for you. It will also influence whether you need other server infrastructure and data-oriented components, as well as the most suitable products if you do.

For content-oriented projects, the choice of CMS will usually drive the rest of the decisions. In nearly all cases, the CMS will include fundamental and other content-oriented components. You may have to choose a data server separately, depending on the degree and volume of dynamic content generation. In cases where you have a balance of data-oriented and content-oriented development, you will have to decide simultaneously on an application server and CMS, taking into account the success of other organizations successfully using different combinations.